Steven Sahiounie, journalist and political commentator
In September, in New York City, European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen said the EU stands "firmly united" behind a two-state solution for Israel and Palestine after meeting with US President Donald Trump on the sidelines of UN General Assembly.
Von der Leyen used the word “united”, but the EU is anything but united. The EU is guilty of double standards. In the case of the war in Ukraine, the EU placed sanctions on Russia. But, the EU failed to sanction Israel after they have committed crimes against humanity in Gaza.
The EU follows US policy on Israel and the war in Gaza. When Israel began its attacks on Gaza, following the Hamas surprise attack on Israeli soldiers and civilians, von der Leyen parroted the US talking points, stressing that the EU supports Israel’s right to defend itself. But, after 60,000 deaths in Gaza, overwhelmingly women and children, it is clear this was not about Israeli defense, but strictly was a war of revenge. Innocent civilians who have never held a gun paid with their lives for an attack carried out by Hamas, a recognized terrorist organization.
US foreign policy is based on a pro-Israel and pro-Zionist stance, and the EU follows behind in lock-step. The EU demonizes countries who refuse to take orders from Washington.
September 2025 marked a coordinated surge at the UN General Assembly's 80th session. France led, followed by Luxembourg, Malta, Belgium, and others—pushing recognitions to 16 of 27 EU states (nearly 60%). Globally, Palestine now boasts 157 UN recognitions (81%).
Crucially, these are national decisions, not EU policy. The bloc remains divided; Germany, Italy, and others abstain, prioritizing negotiations.
Reluctance to formally recognize Palestine stemmed from a consensus: statehood should emerge from negotiations, not unilateral declarations that could undermine talks. Sweden broke ranks in 2014 as the first Western European nation to recognize Palestine, but most EU states held back. By early 2024, only about 10 of 27 members had done so.
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu criticized EU member states that have taken steps to recognize a Palestinian state, and scoffed at the bloc for having been sidelined from peace-making efforts, amounting to being termed irrelevant. Netanyahu called the recognition of a Palestinian state “disgraceful” and “sheer madness.”
The EU has championed a two-state solution—Israel and Palestine coexisting in peace—for over 30 years, rooted in UN Security Council resolutions like 242 (1967) and 338 (1973). Since the 1993 Oslo Accords, the bloc has poured €1.25 billion in humanitarian aid to Palestinians since 2000 alone, focusing on Gaza's basic needs despite Hamas's 2007 takeover.
"This agreement must mark the end of the war and the beginning of a political solution based on the two-state solution," French President Emmanuel Macron wrote on X after the 20-point Trump Peace Plan was announced.
The EU's leadership said the Trump plan is an opportunity to lay the foundation for a lasting peace in a two-state solution.
But Netanyahu publically pledged, from an illegal settlement in the Occupied West Bank, that his government promises there will never be a Palestinian state.
Germany feels a collective guilt over their role in the Holocaust. However, after 80-years, the younger generations do not remember the period, and refuse to be identified with it, or shoulder the blame.
Youthful Germans, along with youths across Europe and America, have a conscience built on free information found through the internet, and are not easily manipulated into swallowing their state media.
A new moral compass is being held in the hands of younger people who view the Israeli genocide in Gaza as abhorrent. Protests filled the streets in New York, London, Paris and many other European cities all asking for the end of the war in Gaza.
True statehood demands Palestinian Authority reforms, Hamas disarming, and Israeli concessions. As European Council President António Costa noted at UN General Assembly: Palestine's recognition by most EU states underscores a "majority" commitment to peace.
For Gaza's 2.3 million, recognition is a step—not the destination. The real test is the implementation of the Trump plan, which should yield a two-state solution.
Steven Sahiounie is a two-time award-winning journalist.